MG ZS Hybrid+ high engine revs

Over on the FB MGzs page guys are getting 615mls on a full tank.

steviebee said:

I am sorry everyone but we might have to face facts here , there is something fundamentally wrong with the whole set up when the engine makes at times ridiculous noises and far too high revs . My petrol cars of past I never once went over 4000 revs. If the new software update does not come to the UK and fix the problem, I will be selling my zs asp, it’s a shame as it’s a really nice looking car but if it sounds like a bag of hammers it’s a waste of time .

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PD052 is already in the UK and Europe.

My ZS Hybrid+ was updated to PD052 on the 23rd of March, and to begin with, I thought that it made matters worse. However, in West Sussex we don’t have many steep hills, therefore I hadn’t experienced the high revs problem.
After driving, post PD052, for a month, I have come to the conclusion that the updated software’s main objective is to prevent total depletion of the battery. This results in a different driving experience. I accept that I don’t encounter steep hills and therefore I cannot comment on what happens there.
What I can say is that the thermal/petrol engine does rev, possible to around 3500 when accelerating hard, and continues to do so, until the battery is replenished. In addition, I suspect that if I do encounter a steep hill, I will not experience the loss of power reported by others.
I have therefore changed my driving technique, and the result is that, if I don’t fixate on the RPM display, and just let the software do its job, the car is more responsive, and a pleasure to drive.
Also, the MPG has improved to around 60, on in-town and B class roads.

I've merged together 5 separate threads on this subject so apologies if it looks a bit jumbled but it's better to have all the discussion in one place

Alb said:

I've merged together 5 separate threads on this subject so apologies if it looks a bit jumbled but it's better to have all the discussion in one place

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Thanks, it was indeed a bit cluttered lately.

Is this not the case that the petrol engine in the hybrid while supplementing the drive is also charging the battery at the same time?! At first it is disconcerting, but as usually it is so quiet .... First time ownership of a hybrid, I am used to revs equating to speed in conventional fuel car..

Hopefully getting software update done on my ZS today, just wondering has anybody who has had it installed found it has fixed or improved the loss of power issue, while going up hill. Cheers.

John Smith Trophy said:

Is this not the case that the petrol engine in the hybrid while supplementing the drive is also charging the battery at the same time?!

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Very much so. It is however in many hybrids (especially those with a smaller battery or eCVTs), that the engine revs up a lot more frequently, basically at every harder acceleration, and thus it just becomes part of the driving, whilst the MG (but I'd add the Honda Hybrids as well) will use the electric motor much more, and with a comparably large battery, only start recharging - but then prolonged in comparison - less frequently and less in relation to the momentary throttle position.

Having owned (and driven a lot more) "self charging full hybrids" over time (not to be confused with the popular mild hybrid term, those are a different story entirely) , I can attest that high revs are part of the hybrid game everywhere, and indeed the best "charge per liter of fuel used" ratio is in vicinity of max torque, so not at low revs. Generally, high revs as such were not a bug at the MG system that would require an update, it was the loss of power at low charges of battery, or technically the car letting the battery drop below a certain SOC that got it into this situation, as well as then prioritizing charging over driving, causing that scenario.